Growing up, it was normal for me to spend evenings and weekends shuffled from one place to the next. For the most part I attended my mom’s activities, not my own as a very young child. Her lifestyle of leadership was all I knew. Literally, from the time I entered this world, I was swept up by the momentum of an ambitious, focused woman who was pregnant with me while she completed her PhD. I…

This past weekend we celebrated the culmination of 52 Bows with my lovebug turning 1. She is the sweetest baby girl on the planet, and we had a simple, family gathering in the backyard. “The family” encompassed eight of Miss C’s closest relatives (sans her maternal grandparents). Uncle A, Auntie Niki and Jim visited for nearly a week. They are closer than extended family and embrace our kids as though they are their own. Uncle…